Retail Watch: A regional brewery chain is preparing to open its first Lehigh Valley location

This weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer, and with it, two upcoming spots to enjoy the sunshine.

Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant , the craft brewery that’s opened locations across the mid-Atlantic region, is opening its 22nd location at 950 Lehigh Lifestyle Center at Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township. The location was the former site of Bravo! Cucina Italiana , which shut down in October 2022 .

Mark Edelson, co-owner of the brand, said the location would open in late June or early July.

Edelson said that his Delaware-based brewery has long eyed the Lehigh Valley for a potential location. “We’ve been looking here for a long time,” he said. “Back in the 2000s, I was looking at Saucon Valley, Bethlehem and Allentown.” When Bravo closed, Edelson said the timing and location were right.

“ Cheesecake Factory is doing tremendous business, and we’re near the Apple store,” he said. “We’re super excited.”

Locals may have visited other Iron Hill sites, and for them, the interior and menu won’t be a surprise: soups, salads and entrees that can pair well with a beer. Appetizers include beer-battered fried green tomatoes, roasted red beets with honey whipped goat cheese, and nachos that can be served vegetarian or topped with fajita spiced chicken. Entrees include bangers and mash, Idaho catfish served with a spicy creole sauce and rice, and spice-rubbed grilled ribeye with charred poblano peppers and ancho chili butter. A variety of tacos (carnitas, fajita chicken and Baja fish) and sandwiches (pork schnitzel and a “drunk monk” that highlights mushrooms and brie slathered in a rosemary-truffle aioli are two among many) are available as well as pizza, flatbreads and shareable plates for crowds to devour together.

Edelson added that construction crews are opening up windows, brightening up the space, and expanding outdoor dining to mimic the layout of other Iron Hill locations. But there will be local touches.

“We have a different mural in every restaurant to incorporate the local flair,” Edelson said. “There’s also always one ‘hometown’ beer on tap, a local brand.”

The local beer for the Lehigh Valley Mall location will be announced closer to opening, he said.

The focus on beer means there will always be approximately 16 beers on tap, with seven signature beers (including the “hometown” beer) permanently available; the remaining will be rotating seasonals.

The restaurant/brewery, which is well on its way to opening, will have a glass screen so customers can check out brewing in action. Brewery tanks just arrived at the location so beer can be fermented and served on site for a “tank to table experience,” Edelson said.

Also taking advantage of upcoming warm weather is mother-daughter team Debra Paschall and Samantha De Vico. The duo rounded up a slew of local farmers, artisans and bakers to launch the Coopersburg Farmers Market , which will have its grand opening 10:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 2 at 5 N. Main St. in Coopersburg.

But wasn’t the Coopersburg Farmers Market there before? Yes, but in 2020, due to the pandemic, the market shut down. Paschall said she was perusing Facebook one day when she saw a comment from someone saying they wished the market would come back. “I thought, ‘Wait, this is something I can do,’ ” she said. “And that’s how this came to fruition!”

Paschall surveyed community members about what they missed and wanted to see in a farmers market, while De Vico got to work recruiting local vendors. “We’re not bringing anything old back,” she said. De Vico had a clear aesthetic and vibe she was going for while she was recreating the market: a place where local produce and goods are celebrated, with family-friendly activities and food trucks to cater to lazy Sunday crowds.

“We really wanted to bring stuff that was local around here,” Paschall said.

“We stuck with a 30-mile radius,” said De Vico, though that was often challenging: “We tried so hard to find a mushroom vendor in that radius but we couldn’t.” De Vico said she and Paschall wanted to ensure that prices were fair and affordable for everyone, and limiting the radius helped that.

The result is a market that has a little bit of everything and a lot of local love. Among the vendors: Hausman Fruit Farm will sell fruits, vegetables and plants; Dwyer Hill Farms will have specialty cut flowers; MegaGreens Microgreens will sell locally grown microgreens; Polk Valley Farm will sell goat’s milk soap; R&B Apiaries will feature local honey harvests; and Schantzenbach Farms will have beef and pork on hand. In addition, food vendors and food trucks will be on hand, like Let’s Go Coffee Co. , which features gluten-free baked goods; Fork’d Pierogies , which sells its namesake plus other food with an Irish flair; and Buns on the Go , which will have homemade empanadas and wraps available for hungry market goers.

De Vico said the market is still looking for sponsors and craft vendors, as well as performers and nonprofit organizations to round out the market. “We also want more dairy, artisanal bread and cheese,” she said, before adding, “and mushrooms!”

The Coopersburg Farmers Market will run 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sundays from June 2 through Oct. 27.

Finally, Schropp Dry Goods Shoppe , which offers an immersive Victorian shopping experience in historic Bethlehem, hosted its grand opening Thursday. The shop is a casual historian’s dream, with textiles, food and other goods common in the mid-1800s on sale,  and inspired by a real dry goods store owned by John and Maria Elizabeth Schropp (Maria Elizabeth was the daughter of Moravian town brewer John Goundie).

“We were really fortunate to do research into the Moravian archives of Bethlehem,” said Lindsey Jancay, director of collections and engagement with Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites. “We used all that as a jumping off point for redesigning the space.”

The location, at 505 Main St., will be like walking into a slice of Victorian Bethlehem, with a restored 1870s ceiling and counters that belonged to a local apothecary at the time.

Goods to remind visitors of the time period will be on sale, including custom scents from local vendors like Herberry Candles and Paisley & Co. Other items include food and coffee from local vendors, like Mad Catter Coffee Roaster .

Retail Watch is a weekly column covering retail and restaurant news in the Lehigh Valley. Have a question, tip, or want to see something in the area? Contact retail reporter Tanya Basu at retailwatch@mcall.com .